


Like the X-Files

by Fyre



Series: Defenders of the Night [2]
Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Creepslayerz, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 07:11:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13230621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fyre/pseuds/Fyre
Summary: Steve and Eli's research leads to some shocking realisations.





	Like the X-Files

"Okay, what are we..." Steve trailed off, staring at the sheet of paper spread across Eli's wall. It was covered in writing in a whole mess of colours. It looked like some kind of weird science. "What is this?"

"Miss Donski gave me an idea in science class today." Eli didn't look around. He was writing - in a bright blue pen - along the bottom of the paper and frowning. "That thing at the museum solidified when it came in contact with flour. If we can work out why, we can work out a better weapon in case there are more."

The bag of flour had worked well enough, but Steve guessed it was kind of heavy to carry all the time. Especially if there was more than one of those things around. 

"You figured out anything?" he asked as he tossed his bag onto the end of the bed.

Eli straightened up. "Only that it was probably the starch." He turned with a crooked smile. "But I guess we both knew that."

Steve hoped he didn't look too dumb. "Yeah! Of course. The starch. That makes sense."

Eli clicked the cap back on the pen. "I've got some stuff you can do. I need to look up some formulas." He searched through papers spread all across his desk, then pulled out a pile with a triumphant, "Aha!" He thrust them at Steve. "I need you to do the work on these."

Steve stared at the papers as if they might explode, then back at Eli. "Homework?"

"And some history and geography. I think it'll help pinpoint hotspots," Eli said, dropping the pile into Steve's lap. He waved to a stack of old newspapers on the floor. "Those might help." He hurried back to his desk. "If we can find the hotspots, we might be able to find out where the next... thing might happen."

"But _homework_?" Steve shook his head. "You know I don't do brain stuff. I thought I was coming here for the training part."

Eli looked back over his shoulder with a grin. "That's your rope to climb."

Steve glowered at him, but Eli didn't even notice as he started tapping on his computer. "This isn't the same as climbing a rope," Steve complained as he spread out the first page. "I don't even know what I'm looking for."

The light reflected off of Eli's glasses when he turned in his seat. "Start at the beginning. We need a timeline of weird stuff that you saw that I didn't. There has to be a pattern."

Steve looked down at the pile of paper. Eli's timeline was tucked in there, broken down in days and weeks and sometimes even hours. There were notes scribbled down the side about the phases of the moon. There were even tiny drawings of creepers. 

Weird stuff.

Right.

When did the weird stuff all start?

With Jim, usually.

Steve frowned at the timeline, where Eli first saw the monsters. That was right around the time Jim started acting like the boss of the school and knocked Steve's tooth out. So maybe that was where it all started? And yeah! The weird gas leak! And Jim Lake disease! It all fit.

By the time Eli was done, Steve was going through the old newspapers.

"You found something?"

Steve looked up from the newspapers. "It's like X-Files, right? My mom watched it all the time. Stories that look normal, but aren't normal."

Eli beamed at him. "Yeah." He dropped down onto his knees and snatched another of the papers, flipping it open. "I tried to mark the ones that looked weird. Strange lights, spooky stuff, people disappearing."

Steve stared down at the page in front of him, then back at Eli. "Jim disappeared for weeks."

"That was... Jim Lake disease..." Eli's eyes went round. "That wasn't real."

"I told you!" Steve exclaimed triumphantly. "I internetted it and it wasn't real! Now we know why - he had superhero stuff to do."

Eli nodded. "So not just disappearances? People who disappear and come back could be weird too."

Something about that rang a bell in Steve's mind. Something about home and mom and... and Coach Lawrence taking over history classes and calling his mom in about his grades and everything else that happened because...

"Strickler!" He grabbed Eli by the arm. "Strickler!"

"Ow ow ow!" Eli batted his hand away. "What about Strickler?"

"Last year! He disappeared, right?"

Eli nodded, frowning. "They said he was on vacation?"

Steve shook his head. "No, I don't think it was vacation. He came back and he was principal and I got sent to his office with Jim..." Steve sat back on his heels, staring at the wall. "Oh my God... it all makes sense..."

A hand was on his arm, shaking it and he looked around to find Eli staring at him. "What makes sense?"

"Jim and Strickler. They were in each others' faces. I never saw Jim look so mad with anyone."

Eli tilted his head. He didn't look like he believed it. "Wasn't Strickler dating Jim's mom?"

Steve laughed unsteadily. Sure he yelled at Coach Lawrence, but there was no way he could have acted like that around him. "I'm not talking you're-dating-my-mom mad. I'm talking I'm-going-to-kill-you kind of mad." He eyed Eli uncertainly. "Do you think Strickler's part of all of this?"

Eli's face twisted up in worry. "Maybe? I mean he did disappear again this year. No one knows where he went." He clamped his hands over his mouth, then whispered, "Do you think Jim killed him?"

Steve hesitated, but as much as he hated to admit it, there was only one reason for that. "If he did, then Strickler had to be a bad guy."

Eli rocked back. He looked stunned. "If Mr. Strickler was a bad guy, then who else?" he demanded, his voice shrill. He sounded as terrified as Steve felt. "There are stories! Old stories!" He scrambled across the floor on his knees and pulled out books from his shelves, leafing through them. He shoved one of them at Steve. "There!"

"Changelings?" Steve looked from the page to him. 

"People who look like people, but aren't people," Eli explained urgently. "They used to believe that fairies would steal a baby and put one of their own in its place."

"Why?" Steve demanded, bewildered. "A baby can't do anything."

"I don't know! Maybe it's just a sneaky way to take over the human world!" Eli slammed the book closed. "We can't trust anyone else. Anyone could be a changeling!"

Steve nodded. "Trust no one. Just like the X-Files."

Eli looked up at him. "I trust you."

Steve looked down at the guy he'd picked on for so long. Of all the people to trust him and listen to him, he'd never have guessed it would be Eli. He socked Eli - gently - on the arm. "Yeah. I trust you too." 

When Eli smiled, Steve couldn't help smiling back at him.


End file.
